The Missing Years 74 77
by BlankBullet
Summary: Miles-centric. Set during Dharmatimes. Characters: Miles, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Dan, The Changs, some cameo appearances. Chapter 10: Miles is given a chance to test Faraday's theory. Juliet zealously spreads the Christmas Spirit...against all odds
1. Intro

**A Miles fic. Set during Dharmatimes. Other characters: Dan, (implied Dan/ Charlotte), James, Juliet (implied Suliet), Jin, Pierre Chang, Lara Chang, Horace.  
**

**1. It's my first ff ever, so pls don't flame me**

**2. I always thought Miles deserves more fan-lovin'**

**3. There are a lot of missing pieces during Dharmatimes, so I'll try to present my version of**

**Miles' and other losties' lives in Dharmaville between 1974-1977**

**4. English is not my first lg, so forgive me for all the awkward phrases and errors.**

**5. Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own LOST**

**6. Pls, R/R**

James woke up on a tiny, uncomfortable couch. Apart from feeling dizzy and weak, he had no freakin' idea what the hell was going on. His head was spinning as if he had been stuck on a damn rollercoaster for 5 hours. Slowly, he started recalling what had happened:

First the sky lits up and some nutcase physicist is telling him that they are time-travelling. Then they get attacked by The Others and their flaming arrows, turning Frogurt into Human Torch. Then they find Jin, but they lose Locke. The bald idiot went down some old well and the next thing they knew, the well was gone along with Locke. And if that's not bad enough, Charlotte dies because of the time-skipping, and Dan – the only guy with a clue what's going on – goes completely bonkers. Next, they go through the jungle and they hear two shots. They save this girl and... right! That little chick did this! They saved her ass, and this is how she shows her gratitude – by turning their lights out using the sonic fence. That's it! This is THE LAST time he's playing Captain America. No more helping the damn damsel in distress. No more...

Sayer's thoughts are interrupted by footsteps. Some hippie-looking guy walks into the room.

How's your head?

It hurts... Where are my people?

They're fine. Amy told me what happened in the jungle and I really appreciate what you did....

*********************************

And that's how it started. Apparently they flashed in time to 1974! That's right kids - the time of drugs, bell-bottoms, and Grateful Dead. The Dharma Initiative allowed them to stay in their little Hippitown and look for their "lost crew" for as long as they want to. But truth be told, James was the only one who REALLY wanted to stay on the island.

Juliet gave him a word that she'd stay for two weeks, but Sawyer - or LaFleur, as "his people" were instructed to call him - could tell that as soon as the sub shows up, she'd be the first one to board it. She'd spent 3 years trying to get out of that rathole, and there was no way in hell, she was going to stay longer that the 14 days he negotiated.

Jin knew that there was nothing, or no one, waiting for him in the "real world" so he had no choice but to stick around.

Dan was devastated after Ginger's death, and seeing her younger version cheerfully occupying the swing set didn't help his case. He'd stare at the little girl for long hours which made her parents uneasy. They'd browbeat him or take Charlotte away from his eyesight, but he wouldn't even notice their disdain for him. He'd ponder Charlotte's words shortly before she died: he HAD WARNED her, and it didn't work. It will never work! Whatever happened, happened! He can't save her. This thought was driving him crazy. He was literally going mad. He'd talk to himself, he wouldn't eat or sleep, he'd stare at one point in the wall for hours. Occasionally, he'd notice a pity-stare from Juliet, or a puzzled look from Miles. He couldn't take it. The place, the people, and seeing her.... He NEEDED to leave, or descend into madness.

And then there was Miles. He was the first one to suggest leaving the island ASAP. He was the one who kept repeating that "The sub sounds like a hell of a good idea." He was the one who'd call the members of the Dharma Initiative "a bunch of brain-washed yahoos". And just after three days, he suddenly decided to stay. He wouldn't say what caused him to change his mind. He wasn't very talkative in the first place, unless you consider nagging and throwing sarcastic remarks as conversation.

Sawyer wasn't too sure whether he could trust the little creep. Juliet got his back more than once during the whole time-skipping frenzy, Jin was a good guy, and Dan was just a harmless nutcase. Miles, on the other hand, was a big mystery to him. The list of his flaws was quite long: he was paid big cash to catch Linus for Charles Widmore and then he tried to con both of them; he never denied that he knew Keamy's orders were to kill all the survivors; he saw Claire walking off into the jungle in the middle of the night, and he didn't do squat about it; plus, he's careless, canny, grumpy and unbelievably annoying. If he want's to be a part of their team, he'd better start talking...

You know, the way you describe Miles reminds me of someone – Juliet smirked, ignoring Sawyer's apparent frustration

Oh yeah? And who'd that be, Blondie?

That would be You, James.

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**Next chapter:**

**( I promise there's going to be more action, this chapter was just an introduction)**

**Miles reveals the reason why he stayed on the island**

**Dan asks Miles for an unusual favor**

**Sawyer and Juliet try to assimilate into the new surroundings**

**Jin learns English, or so he thinks...**

**Stay tuned:)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Counselor

"What the hell are you talking about Blondie?" – James spat with obvious irritation in his voice. Did she just compare HIM to Bruce Lee from the Freighter? Ridiculous! Outrageous!

Juliet gave him a cold glare. That's the second time he called her "Blondie" and she doesn't appreciate it. Well, she does actually, but she wasn't going to let him know how much she enjoys teasing him, and how much she grew to like the nicknames he tosses around.

"James, my point is, Miles is not as bad as he lets on. I don't think he wants to stay because he's planning mischief".

"Planning mischief? " – Sawyer raised his eyebrows and let out a small grin. Juliet's word selection just begged to be mocked. "Looks like someone's been reading too much..."

Juliet interrupted him

"I think he's in love" – she stated, ignoring his attempt to ridicule her admittedly poor vocabulary choice.

"In love? Miles? What makes you think that, Dr Phil? Is he in love with YOU?" – James was confused. The sole thought that Miles could have a crush on Juliet was both, hilarious and... oddly disquieting. Would he be jealous? No! Why would he be jealous? Juliet is free to do whatever she wants, with whoever she wants, for all he cares. And if Miles is dumb enough to think he has a chance with Juliet in the first place, he's more delusional than crazy Dan.

Juliet laughed at Sawyer's suggestion. "No, he's not in love with me, relax" – she teased. Sawyer felt inexplicable relief, although he'd be damned if he let Juliet notice the faintest sign of alleviation. He had no idea why he felt this way, and frankly, he was too busy bamboozling the Dharma Initiative, looking for the survivors in the jungle, and keeping Daniel away from lil Charlotte and her freaked-out parents to ponder his feelings about Juliet.

"Then who is it?" – he asked impatiently.

"Today we were in the cafeteria, and a woman got in line behind us. When Miles saw her, he freaked out, dropped his plate, and ran off..."

"He ran off? What the hell is wrong with him?"

"I've also seen him following her around and spying on her. He behaves like some sort of a psycho-fan, or something"

"Great. Just what we need, another Robert John Bardo" – Saywer sighted.

"That's not all" – Juliet added with concern. "The woman... her name is Lara Chnag. She's Dr Chang's wife..."

"Wait a minute! The orientation-video –guy? Isn't he one of the Head Scientists here?"

"That's right"

"Damn it. That little son-of-a-bitch is gonna get us into trouble. If he blows our cover, I'm gonna strangle him with my bare hands!" – Sawyer was seriously pissed. He put so much effort into setting up the GREAT CON, and now his master plan is jeopardized by a fanatic GHOSTBUSTER with a crush. It's bad enough having a crazy scientist freaking people out by traipsing around the campus, without Miles harassing the wife of one of the most prominent members of Dharmaville. "I'm gonna talk sense into him, and if that doesn't help, I'm gonna kill the creep" – Sawyer stated angrily.

Juliet certainly didn't trust Sawyer's diplomatic skills. She could imagine his "talking sense into someone" by smashing one's head to smithereens on the stone floor.

"James, maybe I should talk to him. You have more important things to worry about right now" – she put it as gently as she could. It was an obvious lie, but she wasn't going to let him smash anyone's head, even if it's Miles' head.

"Don't worry, Blo...." – he stopped himself from using that nickname again. He's not in the mood for being frozen by her icy glare right now. "Don't worry, I'll handle it, but right now me and Jin are taking the car, and we're going to look for Rose, Bernard and the rest. I'll take care of our Don Juan later"...

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Miles was sitting quietly on the porch, deep in thought. He kept thinking about what had happened in the cafeteria. He just saw his mother... how weird is that? What the hell is she doing here? And does this mean his father is the creepy guy from the boring orientation video they were forced to watch the second day they got here? Miles has been following them around the whole day, and to his surprise, they didn't argue once. Not a bad word was spoken, not one ominous gesture was made. They seemed HAPPY. Why would he leave her then? The answer to this question was pretty obvious to Miles, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. She got pregnant, and gave birth to their son. He got freaked out –maybe because he found out about the baby's "powers" – and left them. The rest is history – though, technically the future – she goes to Encino where she spends the last 20 years of her life in poverty and solitude. Then, if being angry, rejected and hurt is not enough, she gets sick and dies of cancer. Seeing his mother so happy NOW, and knowing that in three years she'll lose everything, made him depressed and upset.

"M...Miles, can I talk to you?" – it was Dan, bringing Miles out of the state of contemplation.

"What?" – the word came out a bit more harshly than he intended, but then again he was getting a little tired of treating Dan like a little kid that is about to burst into tears.

"I was just thinking about... I was wondering if maybe you could..." Dan's mumbling was getting on Miles' nerves.

"Geez, Dan, just spell it out already"

"I was thinking if you could talk to Charlotte?"

"Cause...you're afraid to talk to a 4-year-old girl?" Miles didn't get it.

"No, I mean, the spirit of Charlotte. Maybe if we could go to the place we last saw her... maybe you could find out what happened to her body?

Miles thought about it for a while. He knew this wouldn't work. Her body stayed in a different time, maybe in the future, which means its remaining are not there YET. But his job rarely involved actually talking to corpses. He was a counselor in a sense. His powers are legit, but he doesn't use them as often as people would like to think he does. He simply tells his clients what they want to hear, takes their cash and leaves. That was his job.

Once a widow asked him if her husband had ever cheated on her. He couldn't communicate with a box full of ashes, so he lied. He told her that her husband had always Ben faithful and he'd never thought about other women. The widow's neighbors would probably claim the opposite, but she didn't ask them. She asked Miles. So he told her what she wanted to hear, collected 200 bucks, and went to get a fish taco. And that was pretty much it. Nobody ever asked for details. People just wanted their conscious salved, and he was perfect for the job.

So if there's a way to save Dan from turning into a jittery maniac, then Miles was ready to help him. Not because he cared about Dan – he learned a long time ago that "carrying" is an inconvenient burden – but because Daniel's odd behavior made people uneasy and suspicious of THEM. Normally, Miles couldn't care less if people liked him or not, but if he was going to stay with the Dharma Initiative to get a glimpse of his mother's past, he can't have people treating them like a bunch of runaways from the loony bin.

"OK Dan, I'll do it"

*********************************************************

Jin and Sawyer were sitting in a Dharma Jeep, searching through the jungle for the rest of the 815-ers.

Jin was awfully quiet, worrying more about Sun than any of the lost survivors.

"Hey Jinbo, remember the time I thought you English?" Sawyer asked, trying to cheer up his Korean friend.

Jin looked confused.

"Remember? There was beer, a skeleton, a Dharma van? Does this ring a bell?"

Jin thought for a while and came up with something:

"Those pants... don't make you... look fat" – he finally said with a thick Korean accent

Sawyer's face lit up. "So you do remember? Good, time for lesson 2. Ready?"

"Ready" Jin repeated not fully realizing what he's getting himself into.

"Ok, here's another thing a women needs to hear: You smell nice – repeat"

"You...spell...nice"

"No, not spell. SMELL"

"You... sell nice...."

Sawyer rolled his eyes. This is going to be a long day.

Suddenly, Jin noticed something. "Look!" he pointed at two figures moving through the bushes in the distance. Sawyer decided to stop the car, and follow the two by foot. Once he and Jin got closer, they realized that the two mysterious figures are in fact Dan and Miles.

"Where they go?" Jin asked

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell gonna find out" Sawyer muttered

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"Miles, hey I think we're here" Dan remembered this place very well. This is where he saw Charlotte for the last time. She died in his arms, and disappeared so fast, he could still feel her dissolving warmth, minutes after she was gone.

Miles kneeled beside Dan, and closed his eyes. They both didn't notice Jin and Sawyer observing them from a small distance. Dan watched Miles with hope and anticipation, but the ghostbuster didn't sense anything. Charlotte wasn't here, and he had no clue as to what might have happened to her body. He was trying to come up with something convincing, something that would satisfy Dan, but this was harder than he thought. Normally, he'd make up a story in 2 seconds, but this time, things were different. He opened his eyes and looked at Daniel with a barely visible trace of empathy. Why did he care about her body anyway? It's just meat, the real Charlotte is in a better place right now. Not that Miles believed in Heaven or Hell, but there was no worse place than this rathole.

"I'm sorry Dan" Miles shook his head. He just couldn't lie to him. He was going soft lately, but it's probably because of what happened in the cafeteria that morning. He could have told Dan that Charlotte was buried by The Others, and that she had loved him very much, and that she's at peace now, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Her body might have been eaten by wild animals, for all he knew, and her love for Dan wasn't that obvious to him either, ever since he saw her crying in the Other's camp, after Dan proclaimed his love for her.

"Thank you Miles" Dan sad weakly, and even managed to force a faint smile. "At least you tried, and you were honest. I...I appreciate that".

*********************************************************

When Miles and Daniel got up to head back to the camp, they noticed Jin and Sawyer lurking in the bushes.

"Hey Cheech and Chong!" Miles called out. "You can come out now! I see you got a new hobby, Jim. Spying on people? Shame on you, man. And I can't believe you're sucking Jin into your sick games? " Miles joked.

"Look who's talking?" Sawyer said with a wide grin o his face. "YOUR the one who keeps creeping around Mrs Chang's windows, Romeo".

"What?" Miles glared at Sawyer, completely caught off guard.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." Sawyer continued. "Juliet told me everything."

"Told you what?" Miles grew more and more irritated.

"She told me you have a crush on Mrs Chang". At this point, Miles' eyes widened with disbelief. Sawyer kept going. "And let me tell you something, Bruce – Love is a beautiful thing, but I swear to God, If you do anything to blow our cover, I'm gonna..."

"I'm not gonna blow your cover! I'm not gonna do anything, alright?" Miles said quickly, and a bit defensively. "Besides, You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Oh Yeah?"

"Yeah! I don't... I'm not IN love with... her!" Miles protested. All this time Jin and Dan were quietly observing the situation. Sawyer was getting a little sick of the whole drama.

"Then why the hell are you stalking her?"

"Because... because she's my mother." There, he said it, and it didn't make him feel better one bit. He felt defeated. His secret was out, and he was slowly beginning to see the absurdity of the situation. Hell, he was a ghost-whisperer, and "absurd" was his second name. "I'm not gonna talk to her, so your cover's safe" – Miles added sorrowfully.

Sawyer felt silent. He didn't NOT see this one coming. "Let's get back" was all he could say.

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Hope you guys liked this chapter.

In the upcoming chapters I'll include some more Juliet/Sawyer interaction, Miles' reaction to seeing his father, and some funny bits with Juliet and the guys living together.


	3. Chapter 3: The Confrontation

The mood Sawyer and his crew were in could be described as GRIM- and that still would be a huge euphemism. Daniel was in some dark place, totally isolating himself from the outside world. He became a shadow, a transparent figure with no hope for better days. Jin kept thinking about Sun, and their baby. He gave Locke his wedding ring, and told him to keep Sun away from the Island, because, as Charlotte gently put it, "This place is Death". He would never see her again, but at least he knew she was safe. The only thing Jin regretted was being so stern and cold towards his wife. If he could change the past – or the future – he would have been a warm and loving husband despite all the unfavorable circumstances.

Juliet was getting sick of the Island, and kept waiting for the sub to arrive. She really hated this place, and seeing all the members of the Dharma Initiative, who will be inevitably killed by Ben in a couple of years, made her extra edgy. Although she would force a smile, and desperately try to hide her irritation, Sawyer knew very well what was in her head. He felt guilty for having her stay for two weeks, but he was hoping that maybe she'd grow to like this place. Obviously, his plan was based on an erroneous premise.

"I talked to Horace, the sub's coming next week" – he told her, attempting to sound nonchalantly.

She just nodded. She'll do her dance of joy later.

"So, what are you gonna do? Buy a little house in Iowa and make cherry pies for your elderly neighbors?"

"I'm bad at cooking" - she smiled, remembering the time she burnt all the brownies.

"Horace said we could work for The Dharma Initiative. There are vacancies for the security service and the motor pool..." That was his last attempt to make her stay. A lousy one, he realized as soon as he heard his own words....

"I'm even a worse mechanic than a cook." She winked at him, letting him know that she wasn't going to change her mind. "Did you talk to Miles?" – she asked, trying to change the topic.

"Yeah, and I wish I hadn't" – Sawyer snarled. "Apparently that woman from the cafeteria is mommy Miles."

"So this means.... Lara and Pierre Chang are Miles' parents?" – Juliet asked in disbelief.

"That's a very smart observation for a fertility doctor" – Sawyer teased.

"So what is he going to do?"

"He said he wouldn't talk to them. And considering the fact that he technically isn't born yet, that's not a bad idea".

"Well, where is he now? Is he ok?" – no matter how cold she could sometimes be, Juliet had this layer of sympathy for every living creature. Sawyer first noticed this when she was trying to console Dan, after Charlotte's death.

"I don't know, he's probably utilizing Dharma beer supplies" – Sawyer shrugged. "And you know what? We could all use some booze right now, before we go all Sylvia Plath."

Juliet chuckled. "I'm not sure if alcohol is a solution to all our problems..."

"Consider this your goodbye party" – he stated, knowing that this will convince her.

It did.

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Miles was wandering around the campus, thinking what to do about this awkward situation. Ever since he set foot on this Island, things were going from bad to worse. First he was captured by Locke, and got a grenade stuffed in his mouth. Then, after uniting with the survivors, he got attacked by The Others and their flaming arrows. And now he is stuck in the 70s on an Island, where his good-for-nothing daddy is bossing around like he owned the place. Maybe leaving this crazy-hippie-town is a good idea after all? He can't change anything, so why bother?

"Hey, you there? Mind helping me with these boxes?" – Miles was once again distracted from his thoughts. This time it was some janitor named Roger who needed help with transporting some lab equipment. "I need to take this to Chang's lab, and I could use a hand" – Roger called out.

Before Miles could come up with a good excuse about a sore back, he was given a heavy box and forced to deliver it to Dr Chang. _"Great, just what I need right now"_ – Miles thought, as he had no choice but to take the package and give it to the man he has despised all his life. He took the box and placed it in what appeared to be his father's office, near the recruitment center.

"What is this?" – he was welcomed by an unpleasant, raspy voice. Miles turned around to see a very annoyed Dr Chang.

"It's a box" – Miles stated sardonically.

"I can see it's a box, but that's not the thing I ordered". The unhappy scientist proceeded to unwrap the package. "It was supposed to be a LARGE electron microscope. Does this box look LARGE to you? Can't these people at Ann Arbor READ?"

"Gee, I hope you still have the receipt" – Miles sarcastically feigned concern.

Dr Chang glared at Miles. Apparently he didn't like wise-guys. "What's your name? I've never seen you before. Are you one of the new recruits?"

The set of questions made Miles uneasy. Sawyer warned him not to step out of line. They are new in Dharmaville, so they are not supposed to make people suspicious. Their mission was to "BLEND INTO THE SCENERY". Miles was never good at that. Fitting into the society was not his thing – ever since he could remember, people looked down on him with distrust. His truculent attitude didn't help either.

"I'm one of the survivors of the...shipwreck." Miles hoped his answer was self-explanatory.

"What shipwreck? Horace haven't told me anything about a shipwreck."

Miles felt strange being interrogated by his father. He felt as if he had broken a window, and now he has to come up with an excuse to get away with it. This was bad. _"If he starts asking for details, I'm screwed"_ – Miles thought.

"Hello, am I interrupting something?" – a female voice broke the long awkward silence, and literally saved Miles' ass. It was Lara. "Honey, you left some files on the desk, I thought you might be looking for them" – she gave her husband a set of papers, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you, as a matter of fact, I've been looking for them the whole day" – he smiled, turning his attention away from Miles. Unfortunately, Lara didn't.

"Hello, you must be new here? I haven't seen you around. I'm Lara"- she gave him a warm smile, and anticipated a reply.

"I'm Miles" – he said quietly, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Like Miles Davis" – she stated cheerfully. As much as Miles liked seeing her so joyful, he really wanted to storm out of the lab as soon as possible.

"Apparently, Miles is one of the survivors of an alleged shipwreck" - Dr Chang stated mistrustfully, trying to elicit some answers.

"Oh, I've heard about you guys. That must have been horrible. I hope you find the rest of your crew" – Lara's voice was full of sympathy. Dr Chang decided to take her words at face value, and drop the subject.

"Thank you. I really should be going now" – Miles tuned to leave.

"See you around" – Lara called out after him.

"_You bet"_ – Miles thought, and left the lab hastily.

"Poor fellow" – Lara said to her husband

"He seemed a little odd"

"He's probably shy" – she replied, giving her husband a small wink.

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**Next chapter – Sawyer and Juliet are having a little booze party. When people get drunk, secrets are revealed, and hilarity emerges (and some angst too). Jin tells another Korean ghost story, and Miles tells a genuine ghost story. Pls R/R. **


	4. Chapter 4: The Goodbye Party

**I'd like to thank everyone for all the kind reviews. I really appreciate it. I hope you will continue to R/R as I'd like to continue this story for a while. **

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Dharma Security Headquarters

1977

Miles woke up after taking a little nap in the surveillance room. It was his fist day working for the Dharma security – a job Sawyer, or LaFleur, managed to wangle their way into, after talking to Horace.

_Man, this job is boring as bat shit_– Miles thought, after having stared at the monitors for over 6 hours. He didn't even know WHEN he fell asleep, but fortunately for him nobody caught him in the act.

_Need. Coffee. – _Miles started rooting around the drawers in search for the desired beverage but he only came across a pack of Dharma cigarettes. _Good enough – _he thought, and went out for a smoke.

"Shouldn't you be looking at these monitors, Marbolo Man?" – Sawyer appeared out of nowhere to catch Miles off duty.

_Damn it_ – Miles thought. He's no going to get away with this. "I needed some fresh air" – he stated.

"Yeah I see" – Sawyer glared at the cigarette. "Get your ass back in there".

"Sure thing boss" – Miles grinned, not really intending to move a muscle.

"You can smoke your lungs out at Juliet's goodbye party, but right now you gonna do your job unless you want me to stick that cigarette down your throat" – Sawyer said angrily.

"Ok. ok." – The last thing Miles needed right now was to get his ass kicked, or worse, listen to Sawyer's endless lecture about the importance of BLENDING IN, so he put the cigarette out. "Wait a minute, Juliet's goodbye party?"

"Yeah. The sub's leaving tomorrow. Juliet and Faraday are off to the real world"- Sawyer said coldly trying to hide his sadness over the fact that Juliet's leaving.

"Oh, that must be hard for you. After all, you and DAN have gotten really close..." – Miles couldn't waste an opportunity to get on Sawyer's nerves. And he was ALWAYS successful at it.

Sawyer approached him with an obvious intention to smack him upside the head, but Miles managed to dodge past him and yell "See ya at the party, boss!"

*************************************************************

hours later

Sawyer's house

"This party is sponsored by Dharma Brewery" – Sawyer said, raising a white can of octagon-labeled Dharma beer.

This was the last night he was going to see Juliet, so he wanted to make sure it was a night they both remember for the rest of their lives. There was food, lots and lots of booze, and music – The Doors and Jimi Hendrix, the best the 70s had to offer.

Juliet was surprised how pleasant the party turned out to be. If someone had told her she was going to have such a good time with the likes of Sawyer and Miles, she would have thought the person completely insane. And yet, she felt at ease for the first time in a long while. To her utter amazement, she was really HAPPY. Juliet wasn't sure what actually made her feel so good – the fact that she finally had the chance to leave this God-forsaken Island, or simply being around Sawyer. He was charming, intelligent, strong and, yes, unbelievably hot. He made her feel safe, even on a time-traveling island full of Smoke Monsters, polar bears and hostile Others. She found herself grinning from ear to ear every time he came up with a new nickname for Jin, or a smart retort to Miles' smart-ass comments.

Suddenly Jin took out a flashlight, held it to his chin and started rambling on about something in Korean.

"What is he saying?" – Juliet asked in amusement.

"He's wasted" – Miles stated matter-of-factly.

"He's telling a ghost story!" – Sawyer laughed.

Jin didn't care nobody understood Korean. He's done this before, and it worked – last time he scared the living hell out of Hurley. He would build up the tension by saying something in a hushed tone and then he'd yell out the last words while shaking his fist in front of his victim's face. This time he's chosen Juliet to be the main receiver of his "scary-ass" punch line. When Juliet got closer, Jin unexpectedly exclaimed the last sentence of his Korean ghost story. However, this time his plan failed - Juliet seemed unaffected by Jin's efforts to petrify her. She smirked and looked at him with her ice-cold stare.

"Is that all?" – she asked calmly.

Jin was shocked his story didn't work. Miles and Sawyer, on the other hand, were literally rolling on the floor unable to stop the peals of laughter. Even Dan, who stood on the sidelines the whole time, let out a small chuckle.

"You guys wanna hear a REAL ghost story?" – Miles asked, riveting everyone's attention.

They all knew about his ability, but since this was the part of Miles that genuinely freaked them out, they never asked questions about his "gift". Sure, the guy was insensitive, socially inept and a bit creepy, but most of the time he acted NORMAL. Nevertheless, the talking-to-dead-people part was so surreal, it almost made him "less human".

"You really think you can beat Jin's story, John Woo?" – Sawyer teased, in an attempt to neutralize the tension that suddenly increased.

"Listen to this" – Miles began. "Ok, most of the time when people claim their house is haunted, they're either crazy or... you know... weird. Usually, what they really need is psychological counseling or a large dose of Prozac. So when I got a call one day to take care of _a nasty ghost that is trashing the whole apartment _I was a little skeptical...."

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California

2004

Miles steeped out of his car and took out an old suitcase from the trunk. He was on his way to dispose of a supposed ghost haunting a luxurious mansion.

_Wow, these people must be loaded_ - Miles thought after seeing the huge residence of his new customers_. I suppose this job is going to be extremely hard, so they gonna have to pay extra_ - Miles smiled to himself at the opportunity to earn more many than usual.

"Oh hello, you must be the Ghostbuster" – he was greeted by the owner of the mansion. The guy looked so causal, Miles would never thought he was filthy rich. His wife wasn't too sophisticated either, and Miles was under the impression that she was the true owners' housemaid.

"Normally we don't believe in ghosts. There are no ghosts mentioned in the Bible" – she stated, with a thick Spanish accent.

"Carmen, please" – the man interrupted his wife. "Mister Straume, ever since our son bought us the house, weird things started to happen. We believe it's Tito"

"Tito?" – Miles asked in confusion. _These two have really lost it_ – he though.

"Tito was Carmen's father. Our son loved him very much, and after Tito's death, he believed that he had bad luck because of the lottery....' – the man continued. None of this made sense to Miles.

"So where's your son?"

Carmen and her husband looked down.

"We pray to Jesus he's in a better place now" – Carmen said and made the Christian sign of the Cross.

"So it's either HIM or Tito. Or Both! Can you please help them find peace?" – Carmen's husband asked pleadingly.

"It's gonna cost extra" – Miles stated dispassionately. "I get paid in advance, $500, cash only".

**************

Miles entered the mansion and looked around. He plugged in his ghostbusting device, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on any trace of supernatural energy. After a few minutes he came to the conclusion that there is nothing abnormal about the house.

_Crazy Jesus-freaks_ – he thought, disdainfully referring to the anxious owners. Just as he was about to leave, a vase smashed right against the door, the splinters scratching Miles' cheek.

"What the...." – Miles exclaimed, immediately turning around to face... nobody. _So there IS a ghost in here after all_.

"You've no idea who you're messing with!" – Miles yelled valiantly.

Just as he said that, another vase was smashed right above his head. Miles was lucky to dodge it. This made him really angry. _You wanna play rough?_ _Fine._

Miles closed his eyes, and whispered something in reverse. Suddenly various objects in the room started floating around him as if he was standing in the eye of the storm. This wasn't going to be easy for Miles, but giving up was not an option. The ghost declared war, so he needs to pay for his insolence. Nobody messes with Miles Straume!

*********

Miles felt several drops of sweat running down his forehead. He's been exorcising this damn ghost for over 20 minutes now, and he was losing energy fast.

_He's alive, find him. He's not dead_! –he heard the feisty spirit whispering in his head. _Tell them he's not dead!_

"Alright, fine!" – Miles finally gave up. "If I tell them, will you get the hell out of here, and leave these people alone?"

Suddenly all the floating objects in the room fell on the floor. "I'll take that as a yes" – Miles stated with relief. The spirit was gone, and left Miles feeling exhausted and light-headed.

"Mister Straume, are you alright?" – it was Carmen who entered the room after hearing the noise of crashing objects. The place was a mess, and Miles looked as if he just run a marathon. "Jesus Christ, what happened in here?!" –she exclaimed.

"He said, your son's not dead" –was all Miles managed to say before blacking out.

**************************************************

"So you're telling us it was an actual ghost?" – Sawyer asked with disbelief.

"Yep. A pretty cranky one too" – Miles replied nonchalantly.

"So what happened next? Did they find their son?" – Juliet was genuinely interested in the story.

"Don't know, don't care" – Miles shrugged.

Juliet rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't care, what made her think otherwise?

"Well, that's the last time Miles is playing the Crypt Keeper" – Sawyer laughed. "I need more beer" – he got up and headed towards the fridge. Juliet followed.

"Do you see who you're leaving me with?" – he stated, as if accusing Juliet of treachery.

Juliet smiled. "You'll be fine"

"You sure you don't wanna stay?" – Sawyer asked. He really didn't want Juliet to leave, but he had no idea how to make her stay. The sub's leaving early in the morning so he didn't have much time to change her mind.

"Nothing's keeping me here" – she replied. Sawyer felt hurt by that statement. He didn't know why, but he felt a strong connection to Juliet and he was hoping she feels the same.

"Right" – he wasn't even hiding his disappointment. If she wants to leave, fine. He wasn't going to fall to his knees and beg her to stay. He took a sip of beer and sat on the couch.

Juliet felt bad for Sawyer. Maybe she was a little too harsh. She wasn't quite honest saying there's nothing or NO ONE that would make her stay . This place wasn't so bad after all. The members of the Dharma Initiative are very friendly, and being around Sawyer, Jin and Miles was quite enjoyable.

"James. I'm sorry" – she sat next to him and looked him in the eyes. Juliet didn't know if it was the alcohol or the general atmosphere of the party, or the song by The Doors "Love Her Madly," but she suddenly felt a strong urge to kiss him. So she did. And to her surprise, he kissed her back.

****************************************

hours, and 8 cans of beer later........

Sawyer woke up on the couch, feeling dizzy. Hangover. A really bad hangover. It was 10 AM, but he knew the sub was supposed to leave at 8. He turned around expecting to see Juliet lying on the other side of the couch but she wasn't there. Miles and Jin were sleeping on the floor, and Dan was nowhere to be seen.

"Juliet?" – he called out, hoping she was in the bathroom taking a shower or something. No response. He hurriedly ran out of the house, and headed straight towards the dock. Phil was there, holding the manifest.

"Hey Phil, I need to see that list" – he called out

"I'm sorry but technically you are not authorized to..." – Phil started but decided not to finish the sentence after seeing LaFleur's angered face.

"Just give me the damn list Phil!" – Sawyer growled.

He scanned the manifest to see if Juliet's name was on it.

Anderson...

Backer...

Bracki...

Burke.... Juliet Burke.....

_Damn it, she left _– Sawyer felt betrayed and abandoned. Juliet was gone.

*******************************

**Next chapter – teasers **

**Miles' flashback**

**An accident **

**Confession**


	5. Chapter 5: The Apology part I

**Encino, California: 1997**

A heavily-pierced Miles stands near his mother's apartment. He's reluctant to go inside because he just received a disturbing phone call from Evelyn, the nurse, about his mother's recent passing.

Evelyn stepped outside of the apartment and gave Miles her usual scornful look – as if HE was responsible for his mother's death. She never liked him – as most of the people in the neighborhood - and she would blatantly display her animosity towards Miles. He would never fight back because she was doing a good job taking care of his mother. Miles wasn't able to do that. He couldn't even LOOK at his bedridden mom because her pain was also his.

Evelyn approached him and pulled out a card.

"My address. Send the check by the end of this month" – she stated curtly.

Miles owned her over $400 for her services. His mother couldn't afford to pay health insurance and Evelyn wasn't going to do charity work. "I called the ambulance. They should be here any minute to pick up the body" – she added and tapped Miles on the shoulder – the only sign of empathy she was going to offer.

Miles put the card in his pocket. He wasn't going to be bothered by this right now. His mother died, and she was the last person on Earth that he truly loved, and whom he trusted. He needed to say goodbye.

"Miles!" – it was Trevor, the landlord, who called after him. He approached Miles hurriedly. Trevor was never the one to mince his words, but this time he seemed uneasy.

"Listen, I'm sorry about your mother. She was a good person" – he said somewhat hastily. Miles wasn't sure if his condolences were offered sincerely. "Look, maybe this is not the right time, but.... I have new tenants who are moving into this apartment next week..." Miles raised his eyebrows, he couldn't believe Trevor was talking business just NOW. "I want you to dispose of your mom's stuff by the end of the week. If you need any help, I have a pickup track..."

"Are you serious?!" – Miles couldn't take it anymore. Are these people insane? Does the term 'personal tragedy' mean nothing to them? Here he was mourning his mother's death, and these people were all about the money. Trevor felt bad for a split second, but business was business, and he needed Miles to clean up the apartment by Monday morning.

"Miles, I'm telling ya, take her stuff out, or I will" - he stated calmly, but emphatically and turned to leave. "Oh, and your mother owned me $200 for the rent".

Miles entered the apartment still feeling antsy and shaken by the whole situation. This was the worst day of his life, and people's callous reaction and lack of consideration were beyond his understanding.

His mother was still in bed – cold, lifeless. He was able to hear her thoughts, but he was doing everything he could to tune them out. Yes, this was his last opportunity to get all the answers about his father and his abilities, but there was too much pain in it. Besides, he didn't even care anymore. His mother would always say "What's in the past, should stay in the past. Think about the future".

Last time he tried to get some answers out of her, she told him things he really didn't want to hear. So he let it go. Miles quickly learned not to delve into the past, but he was never able to envision his own future either. It was always about the here and now. _Carpe diem_ – seize the day. Paradoxically, this was NOT an optimistic maxim. Not in Miles' case anyway. If you want to forget your past, and if you can't imagine your future, all that's left is uncertainty.

Miles felt tears streaming down his face. He was all alone now, vulnerable and rejected. He kissed his mom on the forehead and whispered in reverse "I'm sorry"

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**Dharmaville, Security HQ: 1974**

It's been two weeks since Juliet left the island, and Sawyer was grumpier than ever. He was daunted by the fact that something happened between him and Juliet – they talked, they kissed, they CONNECTED – and then she left anyway. Why? Did she really loath the Island that much, or was it in fact HIM that she wanted to escape from?

"Listen man, you really gotta get on with your life. Get laid or something – it'll cheer you up" – Miles tired to put Sawyer out of his misery.

Sawyer didn't even bother to respond, so Miles continued his screed.

"People are like that you know, they only care about themselves. Altruism, compassion, sympathy – these words are meaningless. They're like urban legends, man - you hear about them, but you'd be stupid to believe in them".

Although Sawyer knew that home truth very well, he couldn't help but feel disappointment and rancor towards Juliet. _She could at least have said goodbye_ – he thought, but decided not to share this with Miles. He needed to act tough, as if nothing could break him down.

"Alright Sulu, that's enough. It's your turn to look for our people in the jungle, so get you butt on the road" – he said, throwing Miles the keys to the Dharma jeep.

"Roger, boss!" – Miles feigned enthusiasm, and headed towards the car.

******************************************************************************

**Five hours later in the jungle. **

Miles was tired of driving around the jungle looking for people, he suspected to be long dead. Sawyer was the only one who still believed that the survivors of the plane crash are somewhere out there, waiting to be miraculously saved. Miles, on the other hand, assumed they probably died during the Other's attack, stepped on a landmine, or were killed by that crazy black cloud that literally beat the living shit out of Keamy's men.

It was getting dark so Miles turned the car around and decided to get back to Dharmaville before the sunset. Suddenly he heard a strange, clanking sound, as if someone was winding up a clock.

_What the hell is this?_ – Miles thought, nervously looking around. He could feel that something malicious was lurking in the bushes so he stepped on the accelerator to get away from this place as fast as possible. He didn't get far when a large billow of black smoke sprung in front of the car, flipping it over.

Miles did not lose consciousness, so he managed to unfasten his set belt and crawl of the flaming jeep. His forehead was bleeding profusely but he didn't even feel the pain because of the adrenaline rush. When he got to his feet, he started running away from the dangerously approaching BlackSmoke. He rushed through the jungle, hoping that somehow he would lose the advancing Monster. The Smoke produced howling sounds which sent shivers down Miles's spine, but he kept going.

After running through the jungle's thick flora, Miles was forced to stop abruptly. Dead end - he found himself standing on the edge of a waterfall cliff. The Monster was getting closer, so Miles was left with two options – jumping down that waterfall, or getting quashed by the furious creature. He chose the first option, so he closed his eyes and jumped out before the SmokeMonster could grab him.

The next thing he felt was a piercing chill in his veins from the cold cascading water. In a last-ditch effort to save himself, Miles emerged from the surface of the water, and swam to the shore. He barely managed to lift himself up, and lie down on the wet rocks surrounding the waterside. The Monster was gone, but that wasn't the end of Miles' trouble. Physically exhausted and injured, he was breathing heavily, unable to move or even call out for help. There was nobody in the jungle to hear him anyway – except for the Hostiles who would probably torture and kill him if they found him on their territory.

_I'm screwed_ – he thought, looking at the darkened sky before passing out.

**TBC**

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**The next chapter will be a continuation of this one, so pls stay tuned, and R/R:)**


	6. Chapter 6: The Apology part II

Previously on LOST: The missing Years 74/77

**Miles encounters his parents**

**Sawyer and Juliet kiss**

**Sawyer scans the sub's manifest and Juliet's name is on it **

**Miles is attacked by the Smoke Monster **

***************************************************************************

"Jin! Any news from Miles?" Where the hell is he?" Sawyer yelled to his walkie. He was seriously pissed as he hasn't heard from the guy for over 6 hours. Miles was probably out of range.

"No idea" – Jin responded. "Maybe... we should.. look for him?" he added with concern.

"Alright, I'll meet you at the motor pool. Tell Phil and George to look for him as well" Sawyer commanded, getting even more worried about Miles.

On his way to the garage, he heard screams and sobs. Obviously there was a serious rumpus going on.

It was Roger, the janitor, yelling his lungs out at his 10-year-old blubbering son.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You little brat, how many times did I tell you not to touch these damn cages! Are you a complete idiot?! What if these polar bears got out?! Sometimes I think you have sawdust for brains!" Roger's eyes flamed with anger. He was almost ready to strangle the kid with his bare hands.

"Take it easy there, Roger" Sawyer tried to calm the situation down.

Roger gave Sawyer that 'why-don't-you-mind-your-own-business' look but decided not to talk back to him. "Go home Ben! Now!" he turned to his son. The little nerdy-looking boy wiped off his tears and went inside their little yellow house.

_Ben? THIS IS BEN?_ - Sawyer had a sudden revelation. What if Juliet saw little Ben Linus and freaked out? Is that why she left? Maybe she couldn't stand being around the man – who is still a boy for that matter– responsible for all the pain she's been through?

Sawyer didn't have much time to ponder that thought, as finding Miles was the primary objective at that moment. He found Jin sitting in a new Dharma jeep, ready to search for their missing friend.

"Lets get going. He should be somewhere around grid 218!' Sawyer ordered, determined to do whatever it takes to find Miles. Jin nodded and headed towards the jungle.

*********************************************************************

**Three hours later..... **

Sawyer was really anxious now. They've been searching the jungle for hours and there was no trace of Miles.

"Maybe Others got him?" Jin suggested. "Or the monster..." he added grimly.

"I should have never let him go alone" Sawyer felt guilty and responsible for what happened. Whether he liked it or not, he became the leader, and his people's safety – or lack of thereof – hinged on his decisions.

"Is not you fault" Jin attempted to placate him. "I sure he is fine" he added with a forced smile. He was a good friend, and Sawyer appreciated that.

"LaFleur, it's Phil" Sawyer's walkie went off. "We found him!"

"Where is he? Is he OK?" Sawyer wasn't even hiding his concern.

"He's alive – barely. We found him near the waterfall. He's out cold. We're transporting him to the infirmary now" Phil reported.

"Good, I'll meet you there" Sawyer felt slight relief, but he was still worried about Miles' condition.

**********************************************************************

Jin and Sawyer hurriedly entered the infirmary, where minutes earlier Miles had been transported by Phil and George.

"What's the news, doc?" Sawyer asked the Dharma surgeon.

"He has a severe concussion, and a nasty gash above his right eye. He lost a lot of blood, and frankly, he's lucky to be alive" the doctor explained.

"Yeah, you should have seen what happened to the car – it looked like canned tuna" Phil added, attempting to be funny, but he only got a disapproving glare from Jin and Sawyer. This was not a time for jokes.

"But he's going to be alright?" Sawyer asked.

"He should. Let's wait until he wakes up. I suggest you guys go home, it's late. Come back in the morning"

"Thanks doc" Sawyer and Jin turned to leave still perturbed by the whole situation.

***********************************************************************

Sawyer sat on the porch of his house and looked at the midnight sky. He just couldn't take a break on this goddamn Island. Time-travel, frozen donkey wheels, polar bears, hidden hatches, hostile kidnapping psychos, hydrogen bombs, exploding freighters and frickin' howling, murderous Smoke Monsters – what's next?! Dinosaurs? Pirates? Zombies?

Exhausted and resigned, he buried his face in his hands. His "every man for himself" maxim wasn't that appealing to him anymore. He could really use a shoulder to lean on right now. Juliet's shoulder, to be more exact.

Suddenly he felt a hand lightly stroking his back. "Everything's going to be alright, James" he heard a familiar soft voice.

"Juliet?!" he turned around to see an almost angelic presence of the woman he presumed never to see again. "You came back?"

"I never should have left" she replied, giving him the most warm and comforting look he ever witnessed. "I'm really sorry"

Sawyer was so surprised and happy to see her, he immediately forgot all the bitter reproaches he came up with the day she left. He didn't even realize how silly he looked with his big puppy-eyes full of joy and appreciation.

In an attempt to compose himself, he cleared his throat and asked calmly "Why did you come back, anyway? I thought you hated this place?"

"I still do. But it's not the Island I came back to, James" she replied, looking deep into his eyes. "I came back because I realized I...." she stopped, trying to come up with the right words. "I want to stay by your side. I still got your back, James".

For a few minutes he was speechless. Overwhelmed by joy, he could no longer maintain his feigned coolness.

"Well, in that case, welcome back Blondie" he smiled, and kissed her on the cheek. She was his ray of hope.

***************************************************************

The next day, 10 AM

Jin, Sawyer, and the newly reunited Juliet went to check up on their injured friend. He was still unconscious, looking frail and feverish. With his tiny physique, Miles resembled a sickly child with anemia. Looking at him, they almost felt parental concern.

"Weird, normally I wished for him to shut up. Now I actually want him to start yammering again." Sawyer was genuinely surprised how much he grew to like Miles.

"He'll be fine. This Island fosters the healing process" Juliet explained.

"See, it's not all that bad" Sawyer grinned.

"Excuse me, have you seen Doctor Reynolds?" Lara Chang unexpectedly entered the room, and approached the gang.

"Um, he should get back in a few minutes Mrs Chang" Sawyer tried to hide the fact he felt uneasy having her around. Lara nodded and looked at Miles, unaware of the fact she was actually facing her own son.

"How is your friend doing? He doesn't look too well" she asked with sympathy.

"Oh, he's..." Sawyer started but was cut off by Miles' weak voice.

"Mom?"

"Delusional!" Sawyer quickly added, a little too loudly, trying to explain Miles' behavior.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything" Miles continued, obviously unaware of the circumstances he was in.

Jin, Juliet and Sawyer exchanged concerned looks. _This is bad_ Sawyer thought. Lara sat on the bad and took Miles' hand.

"Honey, I'm not you mother" she stated calmly.

Miles had a high fever and he was unable to comprehend what was going on. He knew one thing though - he needed to say what was bothering him through all these years.

"I wasn't a good son. I wasn't there for you when you needed me. I'm sorry. Will you ever forgive me?" he pleaded, his voice barely audible.

Juliet was visibly affected by the scene so Sawyer clasped her in his arms.

Lara put her hand on Miles' forehead and stroke him gently. "Of course I forgive you"

*****************************************************************

**Hope you guys liked this chapter. Pls, let me know by leaving some feedback :) **


	7. Chapter 7: The flirt

**summary: Miles, Sawyer and Juliet reveal their music preferences, and form their friendship. The gang attends a Halloween party, where Jin finds himself in a very awkward situation.**

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**Dharmaville infirmary**

Two days have passed since Miles had a close encounter with the Smoke Monster. He recovered quite fast thanks to the Island's healing properties, but the doctor insisted to keep him in the hospital for observation.

Sawyer, Juliet and Jin went to visit Miles again, although they decided not to mention the little incident with Lara that happened while he was semi-conscious.

"Hey Bruce, how's ya head?" Sawyer greeted Miles, pointing to the large bruise on his forehead.

"It hurts but I'll live. Hey, is that Juliet? I thought she left" – Miles replied noticing Juliet standing behind Sawyer.

"I came back" Juliet replied and gave James a warm smile.

"I knew you'd miss me" Miles grinned. Juliet rolled her eyes and laughed.

"We have a present for you" she said and gave Miles a small round object.

"A smoke detector?" Miles raised his eyebrows. "Gee thanks. Better late than never" he said dryly, but clearly amused by the gift.

"How long you stay here?" Jin managed to muster some English.

"Probably till I die of boredom" Miles shrugged. "I hate hospitals" he pouted, crossing his arms.

"Poor baby's afraid of needles?" Sawyer teased.

"Afraid of needles? Dude, I had like 6 billion piercings when I was..." Miles stopped in mid-sentence realizing that he just let out a rather embarrassing fact about himself.

"You had WHAT?!" Sawyer laughed. "Don't tell me you were one on these pseudo-punk poseurs who praised Green Day as the-best-rock-band-ever?"

"No, I was actually into The Offspring" Miles replied. This time it was Sawyer who rolled his eyes.

"Hey, at least I don't listen to Petula Clark" Miles said defensively, pointing to Juliet.

"Hey what's wrong with Petula Clark? I love Downtown." Juliet was taken by surprise by the sudden attack on her taste in music.

"Besides I'm not the one who bought The Kiss album!" she turned to Sawyer and smirked.

"Hey, it's their first album, ok? And a CLASSIC!"

"You know, if you stuck your tongue out, you'd sort of look like Gene Simmons" Juliet continued, happy to divert everybody's attention from Petula Clark.

Miles laughed causing Sawyer to give him a cold glare. Jin was confused as he wasn't particularly interested in music and he didn't know what the big deal was.

"You know what, I'd rather be a fan of Gene Simmons rather than Richard Simmons, Miss I-have-to-exercise-every-morning" Sawyer said, recalling the fact that Juliet loved aerobics.

The two started bantering which made Miles chuckle. "You guys act like an old couple" he said.

"What?" Sawyer and Juliet asked simultaneously, trying to hide their embarrassment.

It was true, they've been through a lot together, and they've gotten really close. They kissed, they enjoyed spending time together, they would tease each other constantly – but it hasn't occurred to them that they were indeed a COUPLE.

"I think you hit your head too hard, Donger" Sawyer tried to brush it off.

Miles grinned knowing that he just hit Sawyer's sore spot. "So you two ARE together. That's interesting..."

"Miles I'm warning you..." Sawyer was losing his patience. "If you don't shut up, you won't be able to leave the hospital FOR A LONG TIME".

"Geez man, you're more intimidating than the Smoke Monster"

Juliet and Jin burst out laughing.

The four suddenly felt a mutual sense of togetherness. Even Jin, who still missed Sun, realized that Sawyer, Juliet and Miles became his best friends. Before they got to Dharmaville, they were just strangers – four individuals who had to gang up in order to survive. Now, in an instant, they became a family – an odd and loud, bantering family.

At one point, Horace – who turned out to be a big fan of comic books – called them "The Fantastic Four of Dharmaville" referring to the fact that they always seemed to stick together. Indeed, they were inseparable.

**********************************************************************

After a couple of months Juliet decided to move in with Sawyer, which was considered to be an act of complete devotion and trust. By that time, Sawyer became Head of Security, and a prominent member of the Dharma Initiative, known as Jim LaFleur. Juliet worked hard in the motor pool, and to her surprise, she was actually a pretty good mechanic.

Jin, who shared a house with Miles, went through an intense course of Encino-English thanks to Miles' teaching skills. He was happy to finally be able to have a regular conversation with other people. He never expected that his new skill would get him in trouble...

******************************************************************

**October 31, 1974.**

Jin, Miles and Sawyer were sitting in the surveillance room pretending to do some important paperwork, when Juliet unexpectedly dropped in.

"Hey guys, guess what?" she asked enthusiastically. No response. The guys were too tired and bored with their work to share Juliet's cheerfulness.

"Dharma Entertainment Group is organizing a Halloween party, and we're all going. I got us some costumes, so don't worry about...." she couldn't finish, as Sawyer cut her off.

"Slow down Goldilocks. We ain't going nowhere – we have work to do". Jin and Miles nodded in agreement. They weren't in the mood for parties, and frankly, they weren't too excited about having to wear costumes.

"Yeah, aren't we a little too old for costume parties?" Miles asked ironically.

"Well if you don't want to go, Miles, that's fine. I just want you to know there will be lots of free beer, and lots of drunken ladies that..." again, she didn't manage to finish the sentence.

"Who said I'm not going? I'm in!" Miles said eagerly.

Juliet smiled and looked at Jin and Sawyer. "What about you two? Are you going, or shall I go with Miles?"

Sawyer knew he had no choice but to accept the invitation after seeing Miles' eyes sparkle at the thought of going to the party WITH Juliet.

"Tell me more about these costumes" he said reluctantly.

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**Three hours later, at the party... **

Juliet was excited that she actually managed to convince – or rather blackmail – the guys to join the party. And what's more remarkable, she somehow persuaded them to wear the costumes she rented.

She, herself, wore a white cire dress, and made a Marilyn-Monroe-style hairdo. Sawyer and Miles thought she looked stunning, and literally drooled all over the floor. Jin was dressed as Count Dracula – he had a tuxedo, a black cape, and his hair was slicked back. He also got plastic fangs, but they kept falling off.

Sawyer dressed up as a pirate, wearing a brown leather vest, a bandana and an eye patch. He pretended to be unhappy about his costume, but as a kind he always wanted to be a pirate, and this was a great opportunity to "swashbuckle" a bit.

Juliet decided Miles should dress up as Death – an obvious choice considering his pervious profession. He wore a black hooded robe and carried a plastic scythe.

"Maybe I should wear a skeleton mask or something?" Miles asked.

"Trust us, Miles, you don't need one" Sawyer answered causing Juliet to laugh out loud.

"Aww Miles, you're the cutest death ever." It was Cindy, the girl who worked at the cafeteria. Miles would spend hours attempting to flirt with her, and after several days of tormenting the poor girl, she finally "surrendered to his charm". At least that was Miles' version of the story. Sawyer's theory was that she just had too much alcohol and even Miles seemed "cute" at the moment.

Miles took Cindy for "a walk" while Sawyer and Juliet headed towards the free bar. Jin found himself sitting alone, struggling to keep his fangs attached to his real teeth.

"Problems with dental caries, Drak?" A girl dressed as a witch approached Jin and sat next to him. "You should see a dentist" she smiled.

"My fangs keep falling off" Jin explained.

"That's a shame, you won't be able to bite me" she answered, playfully exposing her neck to Jin. The Korean man felt a bit uneasy, as he immediately figured the girl was trying to flirt with him.

"I'm Gina, by the way"

"I'm Jin" he said rather coldly and looked away, trying to let her know he is not interested in continuing the conversation

"So where's your date?"

"My... my date?

"Yeah, your girl? Don't tell me you came here alone" Gina was undaunted by Jin's cold demeanor.

"I came with Juliet, Jim and Miles"

"And where are they now? They stood you up" she laughed. "Don't worry, count. I'll take care of you" she said and placed her hand on Jin's knee.

Jin's eyes widened and a blush crept up his face. He immediately turned to leave but Gina blocked his way out.

"Where are you going? Don't make my use my magic potion on you" she teased.

"Gina, I'm very sorry, but I have... I'm married" Jin replied, saddened by the recollection of Sun.

"Well, I don't see a wedding ring" Gina said, and crossed her arms.

"I..I lost it"

"Some husband you are" she spat. "Where IS your wife anyway?"

"She's not here" Jin answered quietly. Right now he missed Sun more than ever.

"You know what I think? There is no wife, and there never was any wedding ring. I know your secret Jin"

"You do?" Jin was worried that Gina found out something about their group and was about to reveal their secret. "But don't worry Jin, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our secret"

"What are you talking about?" Jin needed to know what was on her mind.

"It's ok. Jin. There is nothing to be ashamed of. It's ok that you're gay. I have a cousin who's gay – as a matter of fact I think you two would make a perfect couple" she said excitedly.

"WHAT?"

Sawyer and Juliet returned just in time to save Jin's ass.

"Hey Gina, if you like blood-suckers, you should look for Miles" Sawyer joked, getting between the girl and the still dumbfounded Jin. Gina just shrugged and turned to leave.

"Whatever" she said, still upset over her unsuccessful attempt to seduce Jin.

"Come on Jin, let's get a drink" Sawyer proposed trying to cheer up his friend.

"Look at that" Juliet pointed to the dance floor where drunken Miles was doing an awkward version of Travolta's Saturday Night Fever dance

Sawyer took off his eye-patch as he couldn't believe his own eyes.

"That movie doesn't even exist yet" Juliet laughed.

"And if John Badham saw Miles doing this, the movie would never came out" Sawyer added.

"Let's dance!" Juliet exclaimed.

"You got it, Blondie"

"I wasn't talking to you, Captain-wooden-leg" Juliet teased. "Jin, let's go!"

She grabbed Jin's hand and rushed to the dance floor. After a few seconds Sawyer decided to join the gang – wooden leg or not, he was the swashbuckling king of disco!

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**I hope you liked this chapter. Tell me what you think :)**


	8. Chapter 8: The drunken knight

**Dharmaville 1975**

It's been a year since Miles, Jin, Juliet and Sawyer joined the Dharma Initiative and became an integral part of this odd scientists-wannabe hippie society. They got used to everything the 70s had to offer: the "groovy" language, the chill-out music, the funky clothes and even that god-awful decor of their houses.

Who would have thought that, of all people, Sawyer– a sarcastic conman, a swindler and a murderer – would become one of the most respected citizens of Dharmaville. Although he wouldn't admit it, he was immensely proud of that fact and over time, he started believing in the con he himself came up with. He was Jim LaFleur, Head of Security, a wise and honorable gentleman, a brave knight who knew no fear, and a hero who protected the town from evil eyelinered creeps. And since "with great power comes great responsibility," he treated his job seriously, VERY seriously....

"Miles! I need these goddamn reports! Is it really so damn hard to meet a deadline?" Sawyer yelled, annoyed that Miles was slacking on the job – AGAIN!

"How 'bout you stop yelling?" Miles replied unfazed by Sawyer's acrimony.

"How 'bout I put a boot in your ass, unless you get to work?" LaFleur replied angrily.

Miles rolled his eyes. He learned a long time ago there's no point in arguing with the guy.

"Ok, ok, relax. I'm on the night shift today, so I've got plenty of time to..."

"I wanna see these reports tomorrow morning, 7 AM, got it!?"

"Yes sir" Miles stood up and saluted. Sawyer just shook his head and left, slamming the door behind him.

_What a douche. He gains some esteem and suddenly he thinks he's Captain America!_ Miles thought and placed a large pile of unfinished reports on his desk_. This is going to be a looong night. _

*****************************************************************************

**2:15 AM, Security HQ **

Miles slumped in his chair and looked at the miserable sight of his desk cluttered with reports, coffee mugs, and office supplies. He was extremely tired and seriously pissed that he had to do all that "unnecessary paperwork, which was nothing but a burden sponsored by the nagging pencil pushers from Ann Arbor".

_Oh my god, did I really say that?_ Miles asked himself in disbelief. _I sound like my father!_ he concluded appalled after recalling all these times when Dr Chang would grouse about the incompetent staff from the mainland. _I need a break!_

Miles was just about to leave the surveillance room when he noticed something suspicious on one of the monitors. There was a dark figure creeping around near one of the barracks. Miles quickly checked the sonic fence system, but apparently the fence was still working on high frequency.

_Who the hell is this yahoo?_

Miles grabbed a rifle and hurriedly headed towards the house where the mysterious figure was spotted.

By the time Miles go there, the figure was crawling around the bushes, as if frantically looking for something in the dark.

"You there! Get up! Hands where I can see 'em!" Miles yelled, raising his weapon. He loved saying stuff like that. Maybe because he used to be a fan of bad cop shows when he was a kid.

The person slowly tried to stand up, but apparently he had some serious problems with keeping his balance as he felt down again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Miles asked, and took out his flashlight to see with whom he was dealing with. He directed the light towards the person's face and almost dropped his torch upon the shocking discovery....

"Jim?!!?"

"Shhhh" Sawyer put his index finger to his mouth while, once again, failing to stand up. "I lost my damn key. Juliet wouldn't let me in. We had a fight..." he started mumbling.

"Are you.... You are DRUNK!" Miles shouted, completely ignoring the fact he probably woke up half of the neighborhood.

"Shhhhh" Sawyer shushed him again. "Help me find the key. I lost the key, damn it! Gimme that flashlight, I need to find the key...." Sawyer was raving like a madman.

"Jim, your house is on the other side of Dharmaville" Miles explained.

"These damn houses all look the same" Sawyer spat.

"Come on, I'll take you to my place before anyone sees you".

Miles lifted Sawyer up and literally dragged him to his house. This was an unexpected turn of events –Dharmaville's paladin was completely wasted, looking for a key he probably never had in the first place, all miserable, stinky and just about to...puke!

While Sawyer was vomiting all the way to Miles' house, the smaller man was praying nobody saw this ridiculous image of their fearless leader turning into a brainless, vodka-reeking, babbling lush.

*************************************************************************

**9 AM, Miles' house **

"Get up" Miles splashed a cold glass of water on Sawyer's face. LaFleur immediately opened his eyes and jumped to his feet.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

Miles did not reply, and gave Sawyer a tape.

"What is this?" Sawyer asked confused. He clearly didn't remember what had happened that night. Hard to blame him, since he probably drank a gallon of Polish vodka.

"Watch it" Miles said calmly and pointed at the VCR.

It was a surveillance tape with Sawyer's antics on it. Evidence A against his carefully-established good repute. The final nail in the coffin of his good name.

After seeing the tape, all shades of blue appeared on Sawyer's face. He was terrified. Embarrassed. Ashamed. Angry at himself and even angry at Miles, though at the same time he was grateful his friend helped him out.

"If anybody sees this tape...." Sawyer started, his voice grim and hoarse.

"It got accidentally erased" Miles smirked.

Sawyer let out a sigh of relief. "I owe you one."

"You owe me big time" Miles grinned. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"Juliet. We had a little argument...."

"Which resulted in you being kicked out of the house and ending up drunk as a skunk?"

"I really messed up this time"

"Yeah, no kidding. So what did you do?"

"I called her Kate" Sawyer said grimly, as if admitting to a heinous crime.

"What? Why would you do that?!" Miles exclaimed.

"It was a slip of the tongue" Sawyer explained. "A very unfortunate one"

"Yeah I'll say" Miles replied, trying hard to suppress a laugh. Sawyer was depressed, but the whole situation seemed hilarious to Miles. "She'll get over it"

"I don't know"

"She will. Don't worry, you've got more important things to deal with right now" Miles explained with a malicious smile.

"Like what"

"Like these reports" Miles pointed to a large pile of paperwork that suddenly became Sawyer's responsibility. "Good luck" he added, before leaving the house.

Son-of-a-bitch

******************************************************************

**Hope you guys liked the chapter. Tell me what you think, I really appreciate every review :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Confessions

**Summary: Juliet and Miles have a heart-to-heart conversation which makes Sawyer go bonkers. **

* * *

**Dharmaville, 1975**

Juliet was just about to take her brownies out of the oven when she heard someone knocking on her door. No, it wasn't just "knocking," it was WHACKING the hell out of her entrance.

She opened the door to see a very frustrated Miles standing on the threshold of her house.

"You have to take him back!" he exclaimed and let himself in.

"Good day to you too, Miles" she replied sarcastically.

"I can't take it anymore! It's been a week since you kicked him out, and he already turned my life into a living hell!"

"What do you mean?" Juliet asked, not really impressed by Miles' complaint.

"He's an emotional wreck. He whines all the time, he rarely leaves MY COUCH, he eats MY stuff, and he's the most annoying asshole I've ever seen!"

Juliet laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?!"

"Nothing, it's just that you guys are more alike than I thought" Juliet explained recalling the time Sawyer complained about Miles' gruff demeanor.

Miles pouted, slightly offended which caused Juliet to laugh again. She was really enjoying this now.

"Will you PLEASE take him back, and relieve me of my misery?"

"No" she said firmly.

"WHY NOT?" Miles exclaimed, getting even more annoyed. "You want me to go INSANE? Don't make me beg you"

"Miles, I'm sorry James is getting on your nerves, but I'm not ready to take him back just yet"

"But why?"

"I have to think some things through, and I really don't want to talk about it with you" she said coldly, yet giving him a gentle smile.

"Is it because he called you Kate? Oh come on, he didn't mean to. Get over it already"

"Damn it!" Juliet suddenly exclaimed

"Ok, I'm sorry!" Miles said defensively, afraid he went a bit too far this time.

"No, it's the brownies!" Juliet yelled, and rushed to the kitchen. The oven was surrounded by gray smoke, and the brownies were already carbonized.

Seeing the miserable image of her culinary failure brought back sad memories of her "imprisonment," back when she was one of the Others. Maybe it was illogical, childish and simply dumb to cry about it, but she felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

Miles stood next to her, dumbfounded.

_What the hell is wrong with her?_ _First she laughs, now she cries!_ he though. _What am I supposed to say now?_ _A joke! Make a joke! _

"I'm sure the brownies didn't suffer for too long" was all he could come up with.

To his surprise, it actually worked. Juliet chuckled, and wiped off her tears.

"Sorry, I don't know why I..."

"It's ok" he reassured her. "It's kinda my fault anyway"

"No, Miles, it's not your fault. It's not the brownies, you, OR James for that matter"

Miles frowned, confused. "What is it then? What's wrong? You can tell me"

Normally, he would never ask anyone about their feelings. He HATES talking about feelings, but it was Juliet, for Christ's sake! Seeing her breaking down was so unreal and scary, he just had to know what was going on in her head.

Juliet sighed and sat down on the couch. She motioned Miles to sit next to her.

"You really want to hear my story?" she asked.

Miles shrugged "Sure, I've heard so many weird stories in my life, nothing can surprise me" he said, and gave her a weak smile. He already told her once he was a counselor.

* * *

**About 50 minutes later....**

"I never saw Rachel again, but at least I know she was alright. I can only pray that video wasn't one of Ben's tricks" Juliet said, finishing her story.

"Wow" Miles said, surprised how much he learned about Juliet in no more that an hour.

She told him everything about her parents, her sister, and how she helped Rachel fight cancer. She even talked about Edmund, Goodwin and Ben – the three men she'd be glad to erase from her memory. She even told Miles about her brief infatuation with Jack, and her strong feelings for Sawyer, and most of all, how much it hurts to be constantly threatened by the memory of Kate.

Juliet was surprised herself how much she opened up to Miles. Miles, of all people! Who would have guessed? She felt slightly saddened Sawyer wasn't the one to hear her out, and yet, she was glad the creepy ghostbuster turned out to be such a good listener.

Miles was deep in thought, pondering all the things Juliet told him about herself.

"I don't know if Ben was lying or not" he finally said. "I can't tell if your sister is ok, but I know one thing for sure"

"What's that?"

"Jim. He does love you, you know that right? I mean, if there's anything you can be certain of......."

"How do you know that?" Juliet cut him off.

"Because I'm not BLIND? The guy's a mess. And the more miserable he is, the more he's taking it out on me"

Juliet smiled, as Miles continued.

"Look, I can tell he's genuinely sorry. He doesn't want to lose you. Do you know what he did the day you kicked him out?"

"No" Juliet replied, curious to hear the answer.

"He got so wasted I had to carry him home, and "erase" the security tapes. You wanna see them, by the way? I still have a copy" he said and smirked.

Juliet was flabbergasted.

"He really did that? He got drunk?" she asked, still unsure whether to believe Miles' revelation.

Miles nodded. "Don't tell him I said that, or I'm dead meat"

Juliet laughed. She really felt better now. Talking to Miles turned out to be cathartic.

"Look, he may be an annoying prick, but he loves you and you can trust him – and DO NOT tell him I said that either!"

"I won't"

"Will you take him back? PLEAAAASE?"

"Yes" Juliet said and smiled.

"THANK YOU!" Miles exclaimed and put his hands up.

"Thank you, Miles" Juliet said, and gave him a hug. She was truly grateful for what he did for her, even if the motivation behind his actions was getting rid of Sawyer and protecting his OWN sanity.

* * *

Miles felt a bit awkward in Juliet's hug. He didn't really appreciate physical contact with other people - unless it was sex of course.

"It's your turn now, Miles" she said, and looked him in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"I told you everything about myself. What's your story?"

Miles looked away, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"My...my story? Not that interesting" he tried to laugh it off.

"You hear dead people" Juliet said flatly, debunking his statement.

Miles went silent for a moment. He was so used to his ability, he kept forgetting how odd this must be from someone else's perspective.

"When did you first find out you had this... gift?"

"It's not a gift" Miles said, slightly annoyed that she would consider this terrible burden anything other than a pain in the ass.

Juliet looked at him with sympathy, encouraging him to open up a bit.

"I was 10. My mom was just renting an apartment when I heard some dead guy babbling about his wife. I found his body, and totally freaked out my mom AND the landlord. You know what's funny?"

Juliet raised her eyebrows.

"What can possibly be funny about this, Miles?"

"We still got the apartment" Miles explained and let out a chuckle.

Juliet looked at him curiously.

"That must have been terrible for you?" she asked, ignoring his attempts to joke his way out of the conversation.

Miles shrugged. Of course it was terrible. Hell, it was TRAUMATIC, but he wasn't going to let her know. He hated talking about his weaknesses. He needed to be tough. This is no damn Oprah Show.

"I've learned to live with it"

"And you grew to like it?"

"I didn't say that" he replied abruptly. "What's to like? Being a freak? My own mother was afraid of me"

Juliet felt bad for Miles. Maybe she shouldn't have asked. She still remembered what Miles told his mother when he was in the hospital – how he apologized for not being there for her. Maybe Lara wasn't the most supportive mother herself?

"What do you mean she was afraid of you?" Juliet couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Wouldn't you be?"

"I don't know" Juliet answered with honesty.

"I think that's why he left"

"Who?"

"My daddy" Miles said mockingly and gave Juliet a weak smile. "He got freaked out and he left my mom. You know, if it wasn't for Dan's whatever-happened-happened theory, I would buy some condoms and drop them off at their place" Miles said and chuckled again.

Juliet found his sense of humor rather poignant and disturbing.

"Don't say that Miles. It's not you fault...."

Miles shrugged. "That doesn't matter now anyway. It's in the past... or the future or whatever. We can't change it. Look, the point is, we can sit here and rake over old ashes, OR you can go to Jim and get him out of my house once and for all"

Juliet smiled, and nodded. "Alright lets do it" she said and stood up.

Miles and Juliet went to give Sawyer the good news – his sins have been forgiven.

* * *

The two went inside Miles' house and approached Sawyer who seemed a bit odd and absent-minded.

"I've got good news for you man" Miles said and grinned.

"Is that so?" Sawyer turned to face him, his voice gruff and angered.

"Yeah, I've talked to Juliet and she..."

"I know what you did, you little creep!" Sawyer yelled and violently grabbed Miles by his T-shirt.

"What?! What's your problem?"

"James, let him go!" Juliet yelled

"I saw you two!"

"Doing what, James? Talking? Oh I'm sorry, how dare I talk to other people?" Juliet spat.

"You were SMOOCHING!" Sawyer yelled, still clinging onto Miles' shirt.

"Smooching?" Juliet and Miles asked simultaneously and failed to stop a sudden outburst of laughter.

After hearing his own ridiculous words, Sawyer let go off Miles and looked miserably at Juliet.

"So you two weren't..."

"Smooching" Miles finished and winked at Juliet.

"James, will you please calm down and go back home? Juliet smiled and motioned Sawyer to follow her back to their place.

"She made delicious brownies for you" Miles said and grinned.

"So you're taking me back?" he asked confused.

"Lets go before I change my mind" she replied and kissed him on the cheek. Sawyer smiled and kissed her back.

"You owe me another one, man !" Miles yelled after them. "I still have a few unfinished reports to take care of!" he said and took a huge pile of paperwork to Sawyer's place.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. This chapter came out a bit longer than I planned. Reviews make my really happy :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Miles in the Sky

**Miles in the Sky**

**Summary: Miles is given a chance to test Faraday's theory. Juliet zealously spreads the Christmas Spirit...against all odds.....**

* * *

**Dharmaville**

**December 1975**

"Jin, I don't care about the Korean rules of MauMau. We're in Dharmaville now where red 7 means you have to draw five penalty cards, get it?" Sawyer was getting irritated at Jin's stubborn refusal to accept the local rules of MauMau, which he himself came up with by the way...

"I don't like this game anymore" Jin pouted

"I can't believe you two!" Juliet exclaimed, stepping out of the kitchen to see Jin and Sawyer preoccupied with playing card games. "In case you were wondering what kept me busy THE WHOLE DAY, I was preparing our Christmas dinner! Could you at least set the table?" Her tone was so stern, refusal was not an option.

"Alright Blondie, don't get too...." Sawyer didn't even manage to finish the sentence as he was frozen by Juliet's icy glare.

"Come on Jin, Juliet's polite request for help cannot be ignored...obviously"

"And where is Miles?" she asked, still annoyed, her authoritarian tone sending shivers down Jin and Sawyer's spines.

"At work" James replied

"Today? Why? Was it so hard for you to give him the day off?" Juliet spat

"Hey Blondie, not my fault. He volunteered for the night shift today.. and tomorrow. And frankly, I don't blame him"

Juliet gave Sawyer the "last warning" glare.

"Why would he do that?" she asked, somewhat disappointed that Miles would rather spend the night alone in the surveillance room than having dinner with them.

"I think he doesn't like Christmas" Jin explained.

"Who does?" James said and shrugged.

"I do!" Juliet bellowed, clearly losing her patience. "We ALL are going to spend this evening TOGETHER, and we are going to have a great time! Whether you guys like it or not!"

* * *

**DHARMA Surveillance room**

Miles was content to take the night shift and avoid all that Yule-Hallelujah nonsense. He really did hate Christmas and he even put on a black t-shirt with the Grinch overprint that he bought specially for the occasion. In fact, the Grinch was in Miles' top 5 favorite villains – before he turned all goody-good anyway....

Miles was perfectly happy alone, staring at the monitors, contemplating the sweet, undisturbed silence, when suddenly Juliet, Jin and Sawyer entered the room causing a great commotion.

"Marry Christmas Miles!" Juliet sang cheerfully and began removing all the clutter from his desk to put plates and silverware on it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Miles exclaimed, obviously unhappy about the unexpected visit.

"Celebrating Christmas" Sawyer replied, feigning excitement. Jin just stood there, no trace of enthusiasm on his ever-emotionless face.

Juliet ignored their anti-holiday attitude as she was fully engaged in a frantic attempt to turn the gloomy security room into a veritable Christmas shrine, hanging mistletoes and candy all over the place.

Before Miles recovered from the festive-shock that Juliet inflicted, he found himself sitting at the "Christmas Desk," wearing a ridiculously big Santa hat, and listening to some infuriatingly joyful carols about jingle bells, reindeers, sleighs and all that kind of crap.

"Listen guys, I'm really not in the mood for...." he finally managed to say but was cut off by Sawyer

"Don't even try it Bruce. You'll only piss her off. And trust me, we don't want that to happen"

Miles rolled his eyes, admitting defeat.

"Cheer up Miles, or you won't get your present" Juliet teased

"You...you got me a present?"

"Of course I did. Even a Grinch like you deserves one" she replied, looking at his t-shirt.

"Hey, what about my present? Am I getting one too?" Sawyer asked

"You'll get your present later" Juliet replied and gave him a lascivious smile.

"Oh I can't wait for that one" Sawyer said, his eyes flickered with lust

"Oh, get a room you two" Miles snarled

"Here, I suppose you can have yours today, if it makes you less whiny" Juliet said, and gave Miles a quite large, but thin, square object wrapped in red Christmas paper.

"I'm guessing it's a record?" Miles asked and proceeded to unwrap the gift. "Miles in The Sky by Miles Davis...." he read the title and then feel silent, looking at the record intensively

"The cover got a bit crumpled on the sub, and the courier wrote my initials on it, but I'm sure the record works fine... anyway, I hope you like it" Juliet said, not sure how to interpret Miles' reaction.

Miles was still silent which made Juliet uneasy.

"Miles, what's wrong? If you don't like jazz...."

"I know this record" Miles replied, his eyes still fixed on the cover.

"Well I'm sorry, but I'm not a mind reader. How was I supposed to know which records you've already heard?" Juliet asked, irritated at Miles' lack of gratitude.

"No, that's not what I meant. I saw this record before – my mother had it"

"So? She probably liked Davies. If she liked Coleman, she'd probably name you Ornette" Sawyer said

"I mean THIS record, the one in my hands! I recognize the cover, the initials... mom listened to it all the time..." Miles replied, both excitement and sadness audible in his voice.

"Wait a minute! So this means...." Sawyer started

"You GAVE it to her!" Juliet and Sawyer finished the sentence simultaneously.

Jin's eyes widened "How is this possible?"

"Oh, didn't they fill you in on TIME-TRAVEL?" Miles replied sarcastically.

"What if you don't give it to her? What if you destroy the record?" Sawyer asked excitedly.

"You'd change time and debunk Daniel's theory!" Juliet addressed Miles, replying to Sawyer's question.

"You can change time, Miles. Right here, right now"

* * *

"So let me get this straight" Miles started, looking at the colorful cover of the fateful record "If I break the record NOW, I'll change the future, right?"

"That's right. Maybe it won't be a big change, but an alternation nevertheless" Juliet replied

"And then Faraday and his 'Whatever-Happened-Happened' hogwash can go and f..." Sawyer said but was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs.

It was Dr Chang, who entered the surveillance room, carrying a large folder of files. He was a bit surprised to see Miles, Jin and LaFleurs – as he refried to Juliet and James – all in the security room, having a Christmas feast.

"Dr Chang? What are you doing here?" Miles asked, trying not to sound too harsh, hiding the antipathy towards his old man.

"I just got a message from Ann Arbor about the new security procedures. It's all in here" he said, and placed the heavy folder on the desk.

Sawyer was displeased that he'd have to deal with red tape again, especially since he barely managed to grasp the current procedures.

"Some present they got us" he said sarcastically, mentally cursing the wretched bureaucrats from the mainland.

"I suppose they don't celebrate Christmas in Michigan" Dr Chang said and let out a small chuckle.

"Look who's talking!" Juliet said and smiled at the scientist. "You should be home, with your wife, instead of taking calls from Ann Arbor and dealing with paperwork"

Miles frowned angrily, and if looks could truly kill, he'd commit patricide right there.

"You're right. But to tell you the truth, I'm not too eager to go home" he said, which made Miles bite his upper lip.

Jin placed his hand on Miles shoulder, anticipating a possible outburst of a long-suppressed acrimony.

"And why is that?" Miles asked, hardly curbing anger in his voice

Dr Chang didn't even notice Miles' irritation. "They lost the present I ordered for my wife. My guess is they damaged it on the sub, but you never know with these idiots"

"So you're afraid to go home, because you don't have a present for your wife?" Juliet asked amused.

"I know it sounds ridiculous" Dr Chang replied, and noticed the record in Miles' hand.

"Miles Davis, huh? Did you get that album on the Island? Maybe there is hope for me yet?" he said

"No, they brought it on the sub, thus the wrecked cover" Juliet replied, hoping Miles wouldn't add anything rude.

Dr Chang shook his head, obviously disappointed. "That's too bad. Lara loves Davies, that would have been a nice gift"

"I.... I suppose you could give this one to her" Miles said timidly to everyone's utter amazement.

Juliet and Sawyer looked at him, as if he lost his marbles. They all desperately wanted him to destroy the record to see whether time could be really changed. This record was their last hope to prove Faraday's theory wrong and God, did they prey the mad genius was wrong this time.

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Yeah, take it" Miles said, and gave his father the record.

"But the cover is all messed up. I'm sure we can find something better in here" Sawyer said quickly, looking around the room to find anything, ANYTHING, that would pass off as a suitable present for Lara.

"I'm sure she'll like it" Miles stated, and gave Chang a weak smile. He could swear he felt his own heart grow three times larger.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it" Chang replied and shook Miles' hand.

* * *

As soon as Chang left the room, Sawyer slammed his fist on the table.

"Why the hell did you do that? You could have change time! Do you have any idea how important this was?!" he exclaimed

"James, calm down" Juliet tried to pacify Sawyer, although she was a bit irritated herself at Miles' decision to give the album away.

"I'm sorry I just.... I wanted her to have it" Miles said apologetically, avoiding their eyesight.

Sawyer rolled his eyes. "Great. Instead of proving Faraday wrong, you just added the frosting on the cake of his stupid theory"

"It was her favorite record" Miles explained, not so much to justify himself, as to try to understand his own actions "She'd listen to it all the time, especially after she got sick. I don't know... I guess it made her feel better" he added quietly, causing James to compose himself.

_Shit, that IS a good reason. _

"It's ok Miles, you did the right thing" Juliet said, gently stroking his back. "We overreacted"

"We can try to change time some other way. Maybe we should try harder?" Jin said

"There's nothing we can do Jinbo. Faraday was right, and we have to deal with that"

They all felt silent for a while, letting his words sink in.

"So what do we do now?" Jin finally broke the silence

"I don't know about you, but I'm ready to unwrap my present" Sawyer said and winked at Juliet

"Hey, maybe we could share this gift?" Miles asked and flashed her a broad grin.

Juliet shook her head, and laughed "Not in this life, Miles, not in this life"

* * *

**Took me a while to update, but better late than never, right? Thank you for the encouragement you gave me guys:* Reviews make me really happy **


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